1 Εἶπον ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, δεῦρο δὴ πειράσω σε ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ, καὶ ἴδε ἐν ἀγαθῷ· καὶ ἰδοὺ καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης. 2 Τῷ γέλωτι εἶπα, περιφορὰν, καὶ τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ, τί τοῦτο ποιεῖς; 3 Καὶ κατεσκεψάμην εἰ ἡ καρδία μου ἑλκύσει ὡς οἶνον τὴν σάρκα μου, καὶ καρδία μου ὡδήγησεν ἐν σοφίᾳ, καὶ τοῦ κρατῆσαι ἐπʼ εὐφροσύνην, ἕως οὗ ἴδω ποῖον τὸ ἀγαθὸν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὃ ποιήσουσιν ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ἀριθμὸν ἡμερῶν ζωῆς αὐτῶν. 4 Ἐμεγάλυνα ποίημἀ μου, ᾠκοδόμησά μοι οἴκους, ἐφύτευσά μοι ἀμπελῶνας, 5 ἐποίησά μοι κήπους καὶ παραδείσους, καὶ ἐφύτευσα ἐν αὐτοῖς ξύλον πᾶν καρποῦ. 6 Ἐποίησά μοι κολυμβήθρας ὑδάτων τοῦ ποτίσαι ἀπʼ αὐτῶν δρυμὸν βλαστῶντα ξύλα. 7 Ἐκτησάμην δούλους καὶ παιδίσκας, καὶ οἰκογενεῖς ἐγένοντό μοι, καί γε κτῆσις βουκολίου καὶ ποιμνίου πολλὴ ἐγένετό μοι ὑπὲρ πάντας τοὺς γενομένους ἔμπροσθέν μου ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. 8 Συνήγαγόν μοι καί γε ἀργύριον καί γε χρυσίον, καὶ περιουσιασμοὺς βασιλέων καὶ τῶν χωρῶν· ἐποίησά μοι ᾄδοντας καὶ ᾀδούσας, καὶ ἐντρυφήματα υἱῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἰνοχόον καὶ οἰνοχόας. 9 Καὶ ἐμεγαλύνθην καὶ προσέθηκα παρὰ πάντας τοὺς γενομένους ἀπὸ ἔμπροσθέν μου ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, καί γε σοφία μου ἐστάθη μοι. 10 Καὶ πᾶν ὃ ᾔτησαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου, οὐκ ἀφεῖλον ἀπʼ αὐτῶν· οὐκ ἀπεκώλυσα τὴν καρδίαν μου ἀπὸ πάσης εὐφροσύνης μου, ὅτι καρδία μου εὐφράνθη ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ μου· καὶ τοῦτο ἐγένετο μερίς μου ἀπὸ παντὸς μόχθου μου. 11 Καὶ ἐπέβλεψα ἐγὼ ἐν πᾶσι ποιήμασί μου οἷς ἐποίησαν αἱ χεῖρές μου, καὶ ἐν μόχθῳ ᾧ ἐμόχθησα τοῦ ποιεῖν, καὶ ἰδοὺ τὰ πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι περίσσεια ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον. 12 Καὶ ἐπέβλεψα ἐγὼ τοῦ ἰδεῖν σοφίαν καὶ παραφορὰν καὶ ἀφροσύνην, ὅτι τίς ἄνθρωπος ὅς ἐπελεύσεται ὀπίσω τῆς βουλῆς; τὰ ὅσα ἐποίησεν αὐτήν. 13 Καὶ εἶδον ἐγὼ ὅτι ἐστὶ περίσσεια τῇ σοφίᾳ ὑπὲρ τὴν ἀφροσύνην, ὡς περίσσεια τοῦ φωτὸς ὑπὲρ τὸ σκότος. 14 Τοῦ σοφοῦ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν κεφαλῇ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ ἄφρων ἐν σκότει πορεύεται· καὶ ἔγνων καί γε ἐγὼ, ὅτι συνάντημα ἓν συναντήσεται τοῖς πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς. 15 Καὶ εἶπα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, ὡς συνάντημα τοῦ ἄφρονος καί γε ἐμοὶ συναντήσεταί μοι, καὶ ἱνατί ἐσοφισάμην ἐγώ; περισσὸν ἐλάλησα ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, ὅτι καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης, διότι ὁ ἄφρων ἐκ περισσεύματος λαλεῖ· 16 Ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ μνήμη τοῦ σοφοῦ μετὰ τοῦ ἄφρονος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καθότι ἤδη αἱ ἡμέραι ἐρχόμεναι τὰ πάντα ἐπελήσθη· καὶ πῶς ἀποθανεῖται ὁ σοφὸς μετὰ τοῦ ἄφρονος; 17 Καὶ ἐμίσησα σὺν τὴν ζωήν· ὅτι πονηρὸν ἐπʼ ἐμὲ τὸ ποίημα τὸ πεποιημένον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι πάντα ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος. 18 Καὶ ἐμίσησα ἐγὼ σύμπαντα μόχθον μου ὃν ἐγὼ κοπιῶ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅτι ἀφίω αὐτὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ γινομένῳ μετʼ ἐμέ. 19 Καὶ τίς εἶδεν εἰ σοφὸς ἔσται ἢ ἄφρων; καὶ εἰ ἐξουσιάζεται ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ μου, ᾧ ἐμόχθησα καὶ ᾧ ἐσοφισάμην ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον; καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης. 20 Καὶ ἐπέστρεψα ἐγὼ τοῦ ἀποτάξασθαι τὴν καρδίαν μου ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ μου ᾧ ἐμόχθησα ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον· 21 Ὅτι ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπος ὅτι μόχθος αὐτοῦ ἐν σοφίᾳ καὶ ἐν γνώσει καὶ ἐν ἀνδρίᾳ· καὶ ἄνθρωπος ᾧ οὐκ ἐμόχθησεν ἐν αὐτῷ, δώσει αὐτῷ μερίδα αὐτοῦ· καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ πονηρία μεγάλη. 22 ὅτι γίνεται ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν προαιρέσει καρδίας αὐτοῦ ᾧ αὐτὸς μοχθεῖ ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον. 23 Ὅτι πᾶσαι αἱ ἡμέραι αὐτοῦ ἀλγημάτων καὶ θυμοῦ περισπασμὸς αὐτοῦ, καί γε ἐν νυκτὶ οὐ κοιμᾶται ἡ καρδία αὐτοῦ· καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης ἐστίν. 24 Οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν ἀνθρώπῳ, ὃ φάγεται καὶ ὃ πίεται καὶ ὃ δείξει τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ἀγαθὸν ἐν μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ· καί γε τοῦτο εἶδον ἐγὼ ὅτι ἀπὸ χειρὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν· 25 Ὅτι τίς φάγεται καὶ τίς πίεται πάρεξ αὐτοῦ; 26 Ὅτι τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ ἀγαθῷ πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἔδωκε σοφίαν καὶ γνῶσιν καὶ εὐφροσύνην, καὶ τῷ ἁμαρτάνοντι ἔδωκε περισπασμὸν τοῦ προσθεῖναι καὶ τοῦ συναγαγεῖν, τοῦ δοῦναι τῷ ἀγαθῷ πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι καί γε τοῦτο ματαιότης καὶ προαίρεσις πνεύματος.
Ecclesiastes · Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Ecclesiastes 2 Brenton's Greek Septuagint
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Ezra and Nehemiah form one book (2 Esdras) in this edition; the reader shows them as Ezra 1–10 and Nehemiah 1–13.
Cross references (26)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Luke 12:19; Ecclesiastes 8:15; James 5:1; James 5:5; Psalm 27:8
- 2 Proverbs 14:13; Ecclesiastes 7:2–6; 1 Peter 4:2–4; Amos 6:3–6; Isaiah 22:12–13
- 3 Proverbs 20:1; Ecclesiastes 1:17; Proverbs 31:4–5; Ecclesiastes 6:12; Ecclesiastes 12:13
- 4 1 Kings 7:1–12; 2 Chronicles 8:11; 2 Chronicles 8:1–6; Psalm 49:11; 1 Kings 9:1
- 5 Song of Songs 6:2; Luke 17:27–29; Song of Songs 4:12–5:1; Genesis 2:8–9; Jeremiah 39:4
- 6 Nehemiah 2:14; Song of Songs 7:4; Psalm 1:3; Jeremiah 17:8
- 7 2 Chronicles 32:27–29; Genesis 13:2; 2 Kings 3:4; 1 Kings 9:20–22; 2 Chronicles 26:10
- 8 1 Kings 10:10; 1 Kings 9:28; 2 Samuel 19:35; 1 Kings 10:14; 1 Chronicles 25:6
- 9 1 Chronicles 29:25; Ecclesiastes 1:16; 1 Kings 10:23; 2 Chronicles 9:22–23; 1 Kings 3:12
- 10 Ecclesiastes 9:9; Ecclesiastes 5:18; Ecclesiastes 3:22; Psalm 119:37; Psalm 128:2
- 11 Ecclesiastes 1:14; 1 John 2:16–17; Ecclesiastes 1:3; Genesis 1:31; Exodus 39:43
- 12 Ecclesiastes 1:17; Ecclesiastes 7:25; Ecclesiastes 1:9–10
- 13 Ephesians 5:8; Ecclesiastes 7:11–12; Matthew 6:23; Ecclesiastes 11:7; Malachi 3:18–4:2
- 14 Psalm 49:10; Proverbs 17:24; Ecclesiastes 9:11; Ecclesiastes 9:1–3; 1 John 2:11
- 15 Ecclesiastes 6:8; Ecclesiastes 1:14; Ecclesiastes 1:18–2:1; 1 Kings 3:12; Ecclesiastes 1:16
- 16 Ecclesiastes 1:11; Ecclesiastes 9:5; Malachi 3:16; Exodus 1:8; Psalm 88:12
- 17 Ecclesiastes 2:11; Ecclesiastes 4:2; Jonah 4:8; 1 Kings 19:4; Numbers 11:15
- 18 Psalm 39:6; Psalm 49:10; Luke 16:27–28; Luke 12:20; Ecclesiastes 5:18
- 19 Ecclesiastes 3:22; James 3:17; 1 Kings 14:25–28; Ecclesiastes 9:13; James 1:17
- 20 1 Thessalonians 3:3–4; Job 17:11–15; Psalm 39:6–7; Genesis 43:14; 2 Corinthians 1:8–10
- 21 Ecclesiastes 2:17–18; Ecclesiastes 9:18; Jeremiah 22:15; 2 Chronicles 31:20–21; 2 Chronicles 35:18
- 22 Psalm 127:2; Ecclesiastes 1:3; Ecclesiastes 3:9; Ecclesiastes 4:6; Philippians 4:6
- 23 Job 14:1; Job 5:7; Job 7:13–14; Psalm 127:2; Psalm 6:6–7
- 24 Ecclesiastes 3:22; 1 Timothy 6:17; Ecclesiastes 8:15; Ecclesiastes 3:12–13; Ecclesiastes 5:18–19
- 25 Ecclesiastes 2:1–12
- 26 Proverbs 13:22; Job 27:16–17; Proverbs 28:8; John 16:24; Isaiah 3:10–11
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
… is nothing substantial, nothing lasting, he bewails, among the other vanities that are under the sun, this also, that though wisdom excelleth folly as light excelleth darkness, and though the eyes of the wise man are in his head, while the fool walketh in darkness, yet one event happeneth to them all, that is to say, in this life under …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Listen to Solomon, saying, "As far as light excelleth darkness, so doth wisdom excel folly." But how shall we instruct him that is in darkness?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)